Method of molding panels



A. ELMENDORF.

METHOD 0F MOLDING PANELS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1920.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- A. ELMENDORF. METHOD OF MOLDING PANELSr APPLICAUON FILED JUNE 5. 1920.

1,434,651. v Patented Nov. 7, 1922. 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

oouno Patented New. 7, W22.

ARMIN ELMENDQBF, 0F EEADISQN, 'WISGONSIN, ASSIGNGR TO Y TUBING CDEPQELATION, A CGRPDBATZEQN New ELIETHDID 01F MOLDING FAHELS.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Armin Enmnnnonr, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Madison, county of Dane, State of VVisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Methods of Molding Panels, and declare the following to be a.

full, clear, and exact'description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which forms. part of this specification.

In molding large panels so as to curve them in two intersecting planes at right angles to each other, it is customary to steam them or at least moisten them and then press them individually into shape between heated dies of the proper contour. This method of molding requires a considerable number of presses if large quantities of panels are to be molded and, when various diiierent shapes of molded product are desired, it necessitates the employment of a variety of expensive dies.

The ob'ect of the present invention is to create a simple and novel method of molding panels which will greatly increase the capacity of a press or of a machine or apparatus employed in its stead.

A further object of the present invention is to produce a simple and novel die structure for pressing and molding panels, which will permit a die having any desired contour, within limits, to be quickly and easily produced.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claim; but,'for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed? description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a molding apparatus arranged in accordan cewith my invention, containing a stack of panels to be 7 molded, and the dies being spread apart or open;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus; Fig.3 is a view of the apparatus which is partly an end elevation and partly a section; a d I Y Fig. 4 is a plan view, of a mat or grid adapted to he placed between the panels or a stack to be molded.

Referring to the drawings,- 1 and r2 represent two parallel beams acrosswhich are disposeda series of bars, 3. These bars may be made of any suitable. material, eonveniently oi lumber an inch or so thick. These bars are spaced apart by means of suitable blocks, l; there being enough or. the bars and spacing blocks to cover the beams for a distance equal to the'length of the panel to be molded, while the lengthof the bars is determined by the width of the panel to be molded. The upper edges cl the bars are so shaped that the combined upper surface of the entire group conforms to the shape of one of the die members by means of which the panels are to be pressed into shape. The group of bars is tied together into a compact unitary structure by means of rods, 5, extending through the same parallel with the beams i and 2.

The complementary die member is made of two beams, 6 and 7, similar "to the beams 1 and 2 underneath which are placed bars, 8, of the same type as the bars 2% and spaced apart by similar spacing devices, l; the bars of this group being tied together b means of rods, 9, similar to the rods 5. T' 1e lower edges of the bars ii are shaped in such a way, as indicated-at 10, so as to form a die surface complementary to the die surface formed by the curved upper edges, 11, of the bars 3.

- The upper die member is :tastened to the supporting beams by any suitable fastening able nature, so that it may be raised and lowered by means of these beams.

By making each die out of a larger number of pieces, a die of any desired configuration can readily be built up out of a supply or? pieces of various shapes. Furthermore, the curvature of the die surfaces in planes extending longitudinally thereof may be determined in part by the shape of the edges of the beams against which'the dies rest. These beams may be either straight or curved. In the arrangement shown, the upper edges of the lower beams l and 2 are curved while the lower edges of the upper beams, 6 and 7, are straight; these particular forms being illustrated simply byv way of example. lit will be seen that by curving the edges of the Mill snpporting beams by plzwing sods or clamping sods liners of varying thicknesses be; on all of the hose and the a In eitherevent, whether it be dos just the news by plscin positions elcng; curved Toy missing or lGWGKl? other hers, is no provided for pens... Withoutinte This can co providing tnc cso T i '0, g? elongated slows lo; i-nio 12m n, insted of having "simply boned rev ed holes snliiciently large to receive the rods nsingthe eppemtns, the poi'iols to be molded finst iiepered by wing or boiling them (this being pemmtced 111 the case of ply-wood in which the len-iinae are glued together? by 'we'crpncoi glue, such as blood and a stack of such panels is then laid between the dies and the dies closed upon them.

In order that the panels shall retain the shape into which they ere pressed between the dies, it is necessary that they he then onghly dcied, that is that the excess moisture be removed While the panels are still being held in the dies end reduce the moisture contained in the psnels to about that which the panels would have in the room or location in which they are to he placed penmsnentlv. This d1 of the nonels me conveniently be brought about by stacking them in such a way that they will be out of contact with each other and then blowing T otherwise passing sir referably hot air, through the staclc on the moisture cointent has been reduced to s stable condition To this end I provide a series of open-work mats such as shown in detail in Fig. t. Each of these mats is made up oi a large number of thin fiat sty es, M pveferablv of wood, having a thickness; in. the neighhon hood qusrter of an inch, spaced. spart in parallel relation to catch othen, Across the ends of the strips fastened binding pieces which are spaced apart e distance greaterthen the width of the penels. In assembling the stack of panels, on the first panel, 16, as indicated in Figs. 1 sndfi, is placed a mat in such position that the messes strips extend across the panel with the tie pieces, 15 lying somewhat beyond. the side edges oftlie panel, @n. top of the mat is placed a second panel, 1?, and then a mat and then another panel, s-ndsc on until a stack is produced which contains the desired number of panels. practice have found it convenient to mold as men es ten panels at time, although the number will vary greatly according to the conditions which are to be met:

After the stock of panels has been assembled between the dies the dies n'snst be pressed together with gceat force This may be accomplished placing the filled dies in a press of any suite-lilo kind In the arrangement shown the beams 0i sills, 1 end 2,.rest upon strong motel bee-ms, 18, While the lies-ins or sills 6 end '2; hung from other heavy l9, ezlcnding @CiOSSll'K-E Each of the cosine, 18, is connected to the correspcliding beam, 19, by means of a heavy 'od 2-1., screw threaded at at least one end and having on the screw threaded poction e not, After the parts have been assembled as lietctoiore explained, the nuts, 22 are tightened until the dies are com letely closed.

The upper half of the machine be raised and lowered in any suitable Way. In the arrangement shown there is boil, 24, extending between the upper beams, 19., to which bail a suitable lifting device may be attached so as to raise the-upper half of the die when the nuts, 22, are unscrewed.

After the dies have been closed on the stack of panels asheretofore explained, a funnel, 25 having a length equal to the length of the panels and e; height equel to the maximum height along the side of the stock, may he placed against the side of the machine, heated air being delivered to this funnel through a suitable supply conduit,

26. The air from the funnel passes between the strips each mat in contact with the adjacent surfaces of the two panels which are held spaced apart from each other by the mats and finally passes out of the stack on the opposite side from that at which it entered.

I claim The process 01" molding woo-d. panels whichconsists in forming a stack of dampened pane s in which the panels alternate Wish bendable spacers forming numerous passages extending through the stack between consecutive panels pressing the stack between complementcny concave and convex dies, and blowing heated air through said air passcges.

lln testimony whereof I sign this speci ficatiom ARMIN 

